704 



SOUTH CAROLINA. 



the faithful return of the same ; and the State Treas- 

 urer shall keep a separate account with said fund, 

 from which the commissioner shall draw, from time 

 to time, upon warrants duly approved by the said 

 board, the amounts necessary to pay the expenses 

 incurred in conducting the business of said agency. 

 All rules and regulations governing the said com- 

 missioner in the purchase of intoxicating liquors, or 

 in the performance of any of the duties of his office, 

 where the same are not provided for by law, shall be 

 prescribed by a State board of control, composed of 

 the Governor, the Comptroller-General and the At- 

 torney-General. 



The State board of control is to appoint in 

 each county a county board of control consisting 

 of three persons, believed not to be addicted to 

 the use of intoxicating liquors, to serve without 

 fees, and to make rules for their respective coun- 

 ties ; any county dispenser or clerk purchasing 

 from any one except the State Commissioner, or 

 convicted of adulterating any liquors, shall be 

 guilty of a misdemeanor and subject to a fine of 

 not less than $200 or imprisonment for not less 

 than six months. 



No other person than those thus designated will 

 be allowed to manufacture or sell intoxicating 

 liquors after July 1, 1893, when the law goes into 

 effect, and all licenses shall terminate then. 



The county dispenser must require from every 

 person purchasing a dated and printed or ink- 

 written request, stating the age and residence of 

 the one for whose use the liquor is required, with 

 his signature ; and this must be attested by the 

 county dispenser. But he must refuse to sell if 

 he knows the person applying to be a minor, or a 

 drunkard ; and if he does not know him, he must 

 have these facts certified by some trustworthy 

 person whom he does know. 



Another important measure passed is entitled: 



An Act to amend Title 12, Chapter XL., of rail- 

 road corporations and general railroad law, and to 

 provide for the regulation of railroad freight and 

 passenger tariffs in this State ; to prevent unjust 

 discrimination and extortion in the rates charged for 

 transportation of passengers and freights, and to 

 prohibit railroad companies and corporations and 

 lessees in this State from charging other than just 

 and reasonable rates and to punish the same, and 

 prescribe a mode of procedure and rules of evidence 

 in relation thereto ; providing for the election of 

 railroad commissioners and prescribe their powers 

 and duties in relation to the same. 



It provides for the election by the present Gen- 

 eral Assembly of three railroad commissioners 

 for the terms of two, four, and six years respec- 

 tively, the length of the respective terms of those 

 elected to be determined by lot. Those hereafter 

 elected shall serve each a term of six years. 



One of their duties is to make a schedule of 

 rates for every railroad corporation as soon as 

 practicable ; and that " schedule shall, in suits 

 brought against any such railroad corporation 

 wherein is involved the charges of any railroad 

 corporation for the transportation of any passen- 

 gers or freight or cars or unjust discrimination 

 in relation thereto, be deemed and taken in all 

 courts of this State as sufficient evidence that the 

 rates therein fixed are just and reasonable rates," 

 and as often as circumstances require they may 

 change and revise the schedule. 



After its passage the legislature elected the fol- 

 lowing to be railroad commissioners, accord- 



ing to its provisions : Rev. Jefferson A. Sligh, 

 D'Arcy P. Duncan, H. R. Thomas. The last 

 two are farmers ; the first, pastor of a church in 

 New berry county and a farmer. 



An act to provide for the redemption of that 

 part of the State debt known as the Brown con- 

 sol bonds and stocks by issue of other bonds and 

 stocks was one of the important measures passed. 

 A former legislature had provided for the issue 

 of four per cent, bonds to take the place of the 

 six per cents, but up to the end of October, 1892, 

 only $33,726 of four per cents had been issued 

 under the act, and efforts to place the new bonds 

 at a satisfactory price had failed. 



The act provides for an issue of bonds of the 

 denominations of $500 and $1,000, and certifi- 

 cates of stock, bearing interest at the rate of 4 

 per cent., payable semi-annually. The bonds 

 and certificates are to become payable at the end 

 of the term of forty years from Jan. 1, 1893, 

 the State reserving the right to call in and pay 

 the whole or any part of the issue at any time 

 after the expiration of twenty years, the first 

 called in to be those of the highest numbers, or 

 the last issued, and thereafter the registered 

 bonds or stock in the same order. All coupons 

 of the bonds and all interest orders of the certifi- 

 cates are to be receivable in payment of State 

 taxes, which are payable the same year except for 

 taxes levied for the support of schools. As fur- 

 ther security ' ' for the reduction and payment of 

 this debt the revenue to the State arising from 

 royalty on phosphate beds shall be set aside to 

 the amount of $37,500 each half year, begin- 

 ning with the 1st January, 1894, as a sinking 

 fund for the reduction of said debt." It is fur- 

 ther agreed with the holders of the bonds and 

 stocks that if the State shall at any time sell the 

 phosphate interest, there shall be reserved from 

 the proceeds of such sale a sum sufficient to pro- 

 vide for the payment and retirement of the bonds 

 when due or called, and for the continuance of 

 the sinking fund until such time as the whole 

 debt shall be provided for. The bonds and cer- 

 tificates are to be free from all State, county, and 

 municipal taxes. 



A joint resolution was passed providing for the 

 calling of a constitutional convention. 



A new insurance law increases the license to 

 $100 and requires licenses from building and loan 

 and land loan associations, and to enforce a more 

 rigid system of returning for taxation. 



A resolution to submit to a popular vote the 

 question of amending the constitution so as to 

 confer upon women the right to vote and hold 

 office, was lost, but received the votes of two- 

 fifths of the senators. 



A bill to establish a home for disabled ex-Con- 

 federate soldiers was defeated by a large ma- 

 jority. 



Other bills and joint resolutions passed are the 

 following : 



To entitle all persons charged with forgery to the 

 benefit of an arraignment and challenge of jurors as 

 other persons charged with felony. 



To amend the 8th section of an Act entitled "An 

 Act to provide a more efficient system of working 

 the public roads in Laurens, Anderson, Edgefleld, 

 Lexington, Marlboro, Richland, Abbeville and New- 

 berry counties," so far as the same relates to Abbe- 

 ville County, by enabling han'ds liable to work on 



